Shirt board



Nov. 8, 1938. E. F. CONS 2,135,798

SHIRT BOARD Filed June 15, 1936 INVENTOR, 27/76/2'6'0/753 Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFIE Application June 15,

7 Claims.

This invention relates to shirt boards of the character used to protect folded laundered shirts during the time they are packed and being transported, and the primary object of the invention is to provide such an article of manufacture as will support the folded shirt without the necessity of buttoning the entire shirt front as has heretofore been the custom.

One of the important aims of the present invention is to provide a shirt board for folded shirts, having an area substantially the same as the bosom portion of the shirt and having formed therefrom, wings and a tab which, when bent or folded to the operative position, will co-operate in maintaining the shirt bundle in a neat condition and against mussing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shirt board of the aforementioned character that may be created from a single piece of material merely by blanking and slitting the same so that portions of the material forming the body may be moved to operative position as the shirt board is being applied and without the use of instruments or tools of any character.

Structural details embodied in the shirt board include minor objects of the invention, and such will appear during the course of the following specification, referring to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a shirt laundered, folded, and having therein a shirt board embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the bosom portion of the shirt, with a part thereof broken away to reveal an important part of the board.

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the blank from which the shirt board is formed by bending parts thereof.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of said blank with the wings 40 and tab moved to the operative position.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section through the shirt board, taken on line VV of Fig. 4, and,

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional View, taken on line VIV'I of Fig. 2.

Shirt boards wherein is embodied this invention are made for use with shirts B that have a bosom portion III and a neck band l2 which extends outwardly from bosom portion it) when the shirt is laundered and folded ready for packing 50 and delivery. The conventional attached collar l4 may be secured to neck band l2 and the well known button and buttonhole construction I6 is at the ends of neck band l2 between the points of collar l4. Bosom portion ll] of shirt 8 has over-lapping marginal portions l8 and 2D, the

1936, Serial No. 85,347

former being provided with buttons 22 that pass through buttonholes 24 provided in the latter when the shirt is worn. It has heretofore been the practice of laundries to button the entire shirt so that the component parts thereof would not become disarranged after the shirt was laundered. Objections have arisen to such procedure and this shirt board fulfills the requirement of one which will eflectively hold the folded shirt in good condition until the board is purposely removed.

The blank on which the shirt board is created may be out from an ordinary sheet of ineXpen-- sive cardboard, and in so cutting, the area of the body 26 should be substantially the same as the area of bosom portion I of shirt 8. The edges of body 26 lie against the folded edges which circumscribe bosom portion Ill and these edges of body 26 are indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. A tab 28 provided with a slot 30 is formed from body 26 by slits 32. These slits pass entirely through the stock from which body 26 is formed and the tab may be hinged about a line passing through the two ends of the substantially U-shaped slit 32. It is through slot 30 that one of the buttons 22 of shirt 8 is passed when the shirt board is assembled with the laundered shirt.

Another group of slits 34, 36 and 38 is cut in body 26 and a hinge portion 40 is left between the proximal ends of slits 38 so that the two merged wings 42 may be moved to extend laterally in a plane substantially perpendicular to the major plane of body 26. These wings 52 have one side thereof against the inner surface of neck band l2 when the shirt board is assembled with shirt 8 in the proper manner as exemplified by Figs. 1 and 2. Slits 38 are in the formof a reversed curve and slit 34 is longitudinally arched so that the upper edge 44 of wings 42 will be substantially flush with the upper edge of neck band [2.

Hinge 40 lies directly behind button and buttonhole structure I6 of neck band l2 when the board is in place, and after one of buttons 22 passes through slot 30, wings 42 and tab 28 cooperate in holding the overlapping portions of bosom l0 against displacement and neck band l2 against collapsing during the time the folded shirt is being handled and packed with other shirts in suitable cartons for delivery.

When employing a shirt board of the character embodying the invention, it is only necessary to button the ends of the neck band together and pass a button 22 through slot 30. Marginal portion I8 of bosom I0 will pass beneath tab 28 and the width of this tab is substantially the same as overlapping margins l8 and 20 so that the tab does not project beyond the adjacent edge to the end that a smooth, unwrinkled bosom portion [0 is presented.

The reversed curved slits 38 create an arched lower edge 46 on each wing 42 so that the free end 48 of each wing is supported by body 26.

The corner formed at the juncture of edge 46 and end 48 rests upon the face of board 26 as shown in Fig. 5, and the major part of edge 46 is not in engagement with the face of body 26. An excessive amount of friction is thereby eliminated in order that the inherent tendency of wings 42 to press against neck band [2 is utilized,

One end 50 of body 26 is convex so as to create a line of fold along one end of bosom portion [0 that is tangent to and extends from neck band I2 in a way most suited to hold the shirt bundle in correct condition.

The advantages of a shirt board having parts formed in accordance with this invention are obvious, and it is understood that minor changes and modifications might be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A shirt board for folded shirts, wherein the outermost edges of the bundle created by folding the shirt circumscribes the bosom portion thereof and the neck band extends outwardly therefrom, comprising a body having an area substantially the same as the area of the bosom portion; a tab integral with said body having an elongated longitudinal slot positioned at the center line of said body; and a neck band-engaging wing integral with said body conforming to the curvature of the neck band, said slotted tab overlying a part of the bosom portion of the shirt to receive one of the buttons thereof when in the operative position,

2. A shirt board for folded shirts, wherein the outermost edges of the bundle created by folding the shirt circumscribes the bosom portion thereof and the neck band extends outwardly therefrom, comprising a body having an area substantially the same as the area of the bosom portion; a slotted tab integral with said body and provided with an elongated slot on the longitudinal center line of the body; and a neck band-engaging Wing wider at its free end por.- tions and integral with said body conforming to the curvature of the neck band, one edge of said neck band-engaging wing being convex'when the wing is in the same plane with the body and prior to arching, whereby the edge becomes flush with the free edge of the collar band when in engagement therewith and perpendicular to the body.

3. A shirt board for folded shirts, wherein the outermost edges of the bundle created by folding the shirt circumscribes the bosom portion thereof and the neck band extends outwardly therefrom, comprising a body having an area substantially the same as the area of the bosom portion; a tab integral with said body and provided with an elongated slot on the longitudinal center line of the body; and a neck band-engaging wing formed within and integral with said body and conforming to the curvature of the neck band, said slotted tab overlying a part of the bosom portion of the shirt to receive one of the buttons thereof when in the operative position, said neck band-engaging wing being anchored to the body intermediate its ends at the inner edge thereof, the end portions of said wing being free and bearing against the said body at substantially diametrically opposite points.

4. A shirt board of the character described comprising a body having slits therein whereby to provide wings extending transversely of the board and a tab in spaced relation to the wings on the longitudinal axis of the board, said tab being provided with a slot therethrough.

5. A shirt board of the character described comprising a body having slits therein whereby to provide wings extending transversely of the board and a tab in spaced relation to the wings on the longitudinal axis of the board, said tab being provided with a slot therethrough, said wings having the inner ends of one edge thereof spaced apart to form a hinge, the other edges of said wings being interconnected and on a continuous line.

6, A blank from which a shirt board of the character described may be formed by bending, comprising a flat body to which a shirt may be fitted when folded, a pair of merged wings formed from the body adjacent one end thereof having a combined length greater than the diameter of the neck band of the shirt, attached thereto by an interconnecting portion forming a hinge at the inner ed e thereof, and a tab formed from the body adjacent the other end of the body and provided with a slot on the longitudinal center line of the body, said tab receiving a porien f t e s i t th r beneeth wh raised from the plane of the body of the board, the slot being then in place to receive a button of the shirt, said wings being moved to a position against the neck band of the shirt when moved outwardly to a position perpendicular to the plane of the said board around the axis of said hinge.

'7. A shirt board of the character described comprising a flat body on which the folded shirt is retained with the neck band of the shirt projecting outwardly from one side thereof, wings cut from said board and creating a hole therethrough when moved out of the plane thereof, a hinge portion on the longitudinal center line of said board establishing connection between the wings and remaining portion of the board when the wings are disposed substantially perpendicular to the board, said wings extending across said hole with the edges at the free ends thereof resting upon the face of the board when in the operative position to engage the neck band of the shirt, and a slotted tab on the longitudinal center line of and integral with said body in spaced relation to the wings.

ELMER F. CONS. 

